The symbol used to represent the goddess Atira in the Pawnee Hako ceremonyThe Pawnee Butte, home of the Pawnee tribe who worshiped Atira.[1]
Atira (Pawnee atíraʼ[ətíɾəʔ]), literally "our mother" or "Mother (vocative)",[2] is the title of the earth goddess (among others) in the Native AmericanPawnee tribal culture.[3]
She was the wife of Tirawa, the creator god. Her earthly manifestation is corn, which symbolizes the life that Mother Earth gives.[4][5]
The goddess was revered in a ceremony called Hako.[6][7] The ceremony used an ear of corn (maize) painted blue to represent the sky and white feathers attached to represent a cloud as a symbol of Atira.[8][9]
Her daughter was Uti Hiata who taught the Pawnee people how to make tools and grow food.[10]